This nonprovisional application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. xc2xa7119(a) on Patent Application No. 2001-282437 filed in Japan on Sep. 17, 2001, the entirety of which is herein incorporated by reference.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a structural arrangement of engine auxiliary equipment in vehicles, and more particularly to arrangements for a vehicle such as a motorcycle.
2. Description of the Background Art
In general, a motorcycle of the background art is provided with an engine mounted as a drive source. Various pieces of auxiliary equipment for the engine such as a fuel pump, an ignition coil and the like are disposed in the vicinity of the engine. In the background art, engine auxiliary equipment is supported via a stay extending from the vehicle body frame or is mounted by the use of a wall portion of a box member, e.g., such as a battery case or the like.
In the aforementioned structural arrangement, when supporting the auxiliary equipment on the vehicle body frame via the stay, a special stay must be provided in the structure. Accordingly, the number of components, the corresponding costs and the weight all increase. When the equipment is mounted by the use of the wall portion of the box member such as the battery case or the like, space for the battery case itself and for mounting the engine auxiliary equipment in the vicinity thereof must be provided for in the vehicle design. Accordingly, numerous restrictions are imposed in the layout of a box member such as the battery case or the like.
The present invention overcomes the shortcomings associated with the background art and achieves other advantages not realized by the background art.
An object of the present invention is to provide a structural arrangement of engine auxiliary equipment in vehicles such as a motorcycle in which a special supporting member is not necessary.
An object of the present invention is to provide a structural arrangement in which the engine auxiliary equipment can be supported without impairing layout and design flexibility, e.g., the positioning of members such as a battery case or the like in the vicinity of the engine.
One or more of these and other objects are accomplished by a vehicle comprising a pair of left and right pipe members; a main seat being disposed above the pair of left and right pipe members; a fuel tank being disposed forward of the main seat; an engine being disposed below the fuel tank; a vehicle body frame, the vehicle body frame including the pair of right and left pipe members; and a center cover being disposed across the pair of left and right members and forming a support structure for supporting at least one piece of auxiliary equipment for the engine.
One or more of these and other objects are further accomplished by a vehicle body frame comprising a cross pipe having an engine hanger; a pair of left and right pipe members; a main seat being disposed above the pair of left and right pipe members; a fuel tank being disposed forward of the main seat; a center cover being disposed across the pair of left and right members and forming a support structure for supporting at least one piece of auxiliary equipment for an engine; and a bracket being mounted on the cross pipe of the vehicle frame, the bracket being attached with the engine hanger for supporting the engine and crossing over the pair of left and right pipe members of the vehicle body frame, wherein the center cover is supported and mounted on the left and right center pipes via the engine hanger.
The center cover laid across the pair of left and right pipe members of the vehicle body frame supports the engine auxiliary equipment, and a special stay for mounting the engine auxiliary equipment is not necessary. Consequently, the number of components may be reduced by a number corresponding to the number of members typically required for mounting the special stay. Even for the layout of other members such as a battery case or the like, it is not necessary to assemble the engine auxiliary equipment on the battery case. Therefore, since the space for arranging the battery case itself is sufficient, the freedom of design layout for the battery case or the like increases.
In addition, it is not necessary to provide the vehicle body frame with a specific portion on which the engine auxiliary equipment is to be mounted, thereby increasing the freedom of design of the vehicle body frame. Since the left and right pipe members of the vehicle body frame are connected by the center cover, the strength of the vehicle body frame can be enhanced by the center cover which is an exterior member. Since the fuel pump or the ignition coil can be disposed in the vicinity of the engine, the length of a fuel pipe and electrical wiring extended therefrom can be reduced.
Further scope of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description given hereinafter. However, it should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, are given by way of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description.